Spring-hinge



J. M. SHIELDS.

SPRING HINGE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 29. I918.

Patented Jan. 6, 1920.

our nn STATES 1 PATENT onnion.

JOHN M. SHIELDS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 F. H, NOBLE 8: COMPANY, OF

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORCPURATION OF ILLINOIS.

SPRINQ-HINGE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN M. Snmnns, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spring-Hinges, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to spring hinges of the kind that are largely used upon small boxes or cases used as containers for a great variety of articles, such as jewelry, ornaments, toilet articles, and many other ob jects. Ithas for its purpose the provision of a spring hinge which shall be e'fl'ectw e in action, operate smoothly and with certainty and come to a stop at open position without shock or jar, and which shall be simple and economical to construct. With this purpose and the foregoing advantagesin view I have devised and invented the novel spring hinge hereinafter described and which is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, the essential elements of my invention being more particularly pointed out in. the appended claims.

Of the figures of the drawing, Figure l is a perspective of a box to which a pre' ferred form of my novel spring hinge is applied; Fig. 2 is a side view showing the position occupied by the parts of the liinge and spring when the box is closed; Fig. 3 is a similar view with the box open; and Fig. 4: is a perspective of a portion of the hinge showing a modified form of spring;

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the figures of the draw 111 is shown, the hinge members 1 and. 2 of the preferred form of my device may be formed separately and attached respectively to the backside of the body member 3 and the back side of the cover member 4 of the box,in the present instance by lugs struck up from the sides (the parts ofthe box being constructed of sheet metal) and extending through slots in the hinge leaves and bent down to clamp-the hinge leaves to the box members. However, the sides of the box body and box cover may be hinged together and constitute the leaves of the .hinge, if preferred;

Specification of Letters Patent.

The spring member 5 of my device is formed of a wire possessing a high degree of stiffness, elasticity and resiliency, the manufacture of pianos as kind used in the strings for the instrument being suitable for the purpose. form shown, upperportion 6, the ends of which are 0on tinuous with two curved portions 7-7, which latter portions away from the hinge leaves around the knuckle of the hinge and approach each other below the hinge joint where they merge into opposite, outwardly curved end portions 8-8 lying 'in a center of the top portion 6 hooks over a hooked lug 9 struck upfrom the metal of the upper hinge leaf at a point remote from the axis of the hinge, and the ends of the lower portions 8-8 hook under similar hooked lugs l010 struck up from the metal of the lower hinge leaf. The contour of the spring and the formation of the parts are such that in open position the semi-circular portion 6 of the spring v will lie fiat against the outer portion of the upper hinge leaf and the end portions 8-8 flat against the outer portion of the lower leaf, while the central portions 7 of the spring will curve around and away from the hinge joint and form a resilient lower bridge yieldingly and elastically maintaining the hinge and box members in open position. It will be understood that when the box is closed the spring exerts a tension pulling on the lugs 9 and 1010 on a line inside the axisof the hinge which yieldingly holds the box members in closed position, and that when the box is opened the spring is first extendedand then when the box is partly open and, as the line of pull passes to the outside of the axis of the hinge, contracts to continue the opening movement. Int-heclosed position the spring as a whole is contracted between itspoints of attachment and extends farthest away from the hinge joint, the upper portion 6 and lower portion 88 being inclined away fromithe faces of the hinge leaves. In opening the box, however, the portionsfi and 8-8 of the spring, pivoting upon the lugs'to which they This spring is of the curved and comprises a SQllll-Cllcllla? curve outwardly or common plane. The p and arrangement Patented Jan. 6, 1920. Application filed November 29, 1918. Serial No. 264,520.

are connected, swing toward the hinge members, and when they come into contact with the faces of the hinge leaves the latter act as stops and the intermediate curved portions 7- 7 act together as a buffer, with the result that excess opening action of spring, under whatever momentum the lid may have, meets with a cushioned resistance and the lid comes to a stop smoothly and without shock or jar, oblique position of the curved portions with respect to the axis of the .hinge enables the curve to be made longer than if the are described by V such portions ran at right angles to the axis; and provides a compara tively long intermediate spring portion havinga smooth uniform action,

top portion hooks In Fig; 4: I have illustrated a modified formof my invention, in which the spring is of a'diffierent shape, operation above described. In this modified formthe semicircular upper portion 11 of the spring merges into an intermediate obliquely arranged portion 12 which curves across and-around the knuckle of the hinge and on thelower side merges into a semicircular lower portion l3,-the general outline being that of the letter S bent backwardly at top and bottom, and with a forward swell or bend near its center;

from the upper hinge leaf andthe lower ortion overa similar hip; 15 struck up from the lower hinge leaf, and the spring pivots on these lugs and the semicircular upper and lower portions stop against thefaces of the hinge leaves and the intermediate portion acts as a cushion in the same manner as the corresponding parts act in the form of my invention firstfdescribedr Itfis obvious that the preferred form of spring which hasbeen. described may be regardedas a double spring member, the parts of which each have at one end a plane portion which is pivoted to the outer part of one hinge leaf and atthe other enda plane portion pivoted to theouter part of the other hinge leaf and which have an inter mediate curved or bowed connecting portion extending obliquely across andaround the central portion of the hinge to provide a cushioned stop when the plane portions of the spring bring up against the faces of the hinge plates, as in the case of the correspending parts of the modifiedform of my device illustrated in Fig. 4. lit is furthermore evident that the oblique position. of the central portion of the spring 1n both forms ofmy invention is advantageous, though not indispensable, and that a plane portion may be provided at oneendof the spring only, although I consider it desirab'leto form the spring in such manner as to provide a stopping action at both ends thereof. I there fore do not limit my invention to. the parthe lhe inclined or" v to stop against a huge on intermediate the point of attachment of but has the mode of The over a lug 1 L struck up;

ticular forms of spring described, although such forms are simple, efiective and desirable, and the first mentioned and preferred form is specifically claimed in certain of the claims.

I claim:

1. In combination with a pair of hinged leaves, a spring having its opposite ends pivotally connected with the outer portions of such leaves and extending around the knuckie of tliehinge, said spring being arranged leaf at a point therethe spring and theknuckle of the hinge and the central portion of said spring being out of contact with such knuckle when the hinge. is in i open position.

2. In combination with a pair of flat hinged leaves, a spring having opposite outer plane portions pivotally connected at their extremitieswith the outer portions of such leaves'and an intermediate portion extend,

ing around the knuckle of the hinge, the plane outer portions of said spring being arranged to stop againstthe faces of said hinge leaves and thercentral portion of said spring being out of contact'with said ,knuckle when the hinge is in open position:

3. In combination with a pair of hinged leaves, a wire spring having a'serni-circular upper portion, curved intermediate portions connectedwith said upper portion .and extending around the knuckle of the hinge, andoppositely arranged end portions lying in one and the same plane, the top of said upper portion being pivoted .to the outer portion of one hinge leaf and said endpor inc tions of the spring being pivoted to the other hinge leaf, and the central portion of said spring being out of contact with said knucleaves, a wire spring having semicircular upper portion, curved intermediate'portions connected with said upper portion and extendingtoward each otheraround the knuckleof the hinge, andend portions extending outwardly away from each, other and arranged inone and the same plane, the top of said upper portion. being pivoted to the outer portion of one hinge leaf and said end portions .of the spring being pivoted to the other hinge leaf, andthe centralportion'of said spring being out. of contact with said knuckle when thehinge is in open position. 5. In combination with a pairof hinged sheet metaLleaves, a wire spring having semicircular upper portion, curved intermediate portions connected with said upper portion. and extending toward eachother around the knuckle of the hinge, and end portions extending outwardly away from eachother and arrangedin one and the same plane, the upper hinge leaf being formed with a lug pivotally engaged by the top of said upper portion of the spring and the lower hinge leaf being formed with apair 0t lugs pivotally engaged by said end portions of the spring and the central portion of said spring being out of contact with said knuckle when the hinge is in open position.

6. In combination with a pair of hinged leaves, a wire spring having an upper portion curved in a laterally extending plane, a

10 curved intermediate portion connected with said upper portion and extending obliquely across and around the knuckle of the hinge, and a lower portion curved in a laterally extending plane, the top of said upper portion being pivoted to the outer portion of one hinge leaf and bottom of said lower portion being pivoted to the outer portion of the other hinge leaf.

JOHN M. SHIELDS. 

